Alumni praise versatility of IESA degrees
Article By: Denise Ray
University of North Georgia (91ÁÔÆæ) alumni Kayla Ballenger, '16, and John Dees, '15, are encouraging undergraduates to pursue degrees from the Lewis F. Rogers Institute for Environmental and Spatial Analysis (IESA) due to their versatility and profitability.
"It's applicable toward any job or even a master's degree. It provides a foundation of critical thinking and the ability to pose questions," Ballenger said. "You're taught how to think critically. If you're very detail-oriented, a lot of employers are looking for that, too.”
Ballenger said her degree can be used in various fields, including nonprofit organizations that might need to map out funding for communities, census data and tax assessor data.
Dees is a senior decarbonization scientist with Carbon Direct in Emeryville, California, where he helps Fortune 500 companies understand the things that they can do within their value chain to reduce climate impact.
"I was interested in geography, the environment and computers. The program sounded interesting, and it blended my interests," he said. "IESA is an interdisciplinary program by nature. My goal was to get a bachelor's degree in spatial analysis because I saw there was a job market for it."
He never anticipated graduate school, but with encouragement from Dr. Anastasia Lin, he pursued both master's and doctoral degrees.
"She started pushing me more and more to think about grad school and encouraged me to apply for the , and being one of the two Georgia recipients of the award opened a lot of doors for me in terms of possibilities," Dees said.
We need more qualified women in the field, and I'm hoping to be a mentor for those who are coming up. I really am helping to facilitate that and make them feel more comfortable in this field.
Kayla Ballenger, '16
senior technical manager at Harder Management Group in Dawsonville, Georgia
Ballenger also acknowledges the support from her professors.
"There's a sense of community among them, and they are always willing to help. I'm a first-generation college student who came from a small town, and going to college was very overwhelming," Ballenger, a Toccoa, Georgia, native, said. "Having them there to help guide me was helpful. Every professor I had was so passionate about what they do and building and maintaining relationships with students, even after graduation."
Everyone is using geographic information systems (GIS) but just doesn't realize it. Any time people use Google Earth or Google Maps to decide where they drive, they're utilizing GIS, Ballenger said.
Currently employed as a senior technical manager at Harter Management Group in Dawsonville, Georgia, Ballenger said, "It's never a dull moment, and I like it." She over sees U.S. engineering and design for the company, including GIS, telecommunications designs and AutoCAD design software permitting. It was only after getting involved in GIS when she discovered how much she "really loved it and how it can be applicable to any field that you're working in."
"We need more qualified women in the field, and I'm hoping to be a mentor for those who are coming up. I really am helping to facilitate that and make them feel more comfortable in this field," she said.
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